How to Grow Tomato from Seed to Harvest

  1. Home
  2. Agriculture
  3. How to Grow Tomato from Seed to Harvest

How to Grow Tomato from Seed to Harvest

Tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum L.) is a worldwide vegetable crop. It is widely used as vegetable, soup, juice, ketchup, puree, paste and powder. Tomato is rich in vitamin C.

Uses:

  • Tomato seed contains 24% oil.
  • Its oil is used as salad oil in margarine industries.
  • Tomato pulp has blood purifying and digestive properties.
  • After potato and sweet potato, tomato is the most important cultivated vegetable in the world.

Problems in Tomato Cultivation:

  • Yield reduction in summer season
  • Dry rot problem in monsoon crop
  • High incidence of pod borer
  • High temperature resistant varieties of seeds are not available in the market

Tomato Varieties:

10 Grams of seeds Contains approximately 1200 seeds

Tomato Seed Germination time is 5 to 10 Days

Pusarubi: Suitable for Kharif. Plants are straight and somewhat creeping in nature. It can be harvested in 60-65 days after planting. Pusarubi is medium size and red in color with round beads from deeper rows than Early Dwarf.

Crop season limit is 130-135 days. The yield is 10-12 tones per acre.

Pusa Early Dwarf: It grows faster than Pusarubi within 60 days of planting. Suitable for early rains. The plants are short and have separate branches. Fruits are medium in size and larger than Pusarubi,  red in color with light stripes. This variety is tolerant to heavy rainfall.

Crop season limit is 125-130 days. The yield is 10-12 tones per acre.

Arcavicas: This variety was developed from the American variety Tiptop. Plants are somewhat hard and bear kola fruits weighing 80-85 grams. The fruits grow evenly and have an attractive red color. Very suitable for use as a fresh vegetable and suitable for Kharif.

Crop season limit is 105-110 days. Yields 14-16 tones per acre.

PKM-1: This type was released from Tamil Nadu. Due to the small size of this type of plants, more plants can be planted per acre. Suitable for cultivation in all seasons.

Crop time limit is 135 days. Yields 12-13 tones per acre.

Archasaurus: This type of plant grows in vertical and strong.Fruits are in dark red colour. Each fruit contains 70gm weight. Suitable for kharif to control pod cracks.

Crop season limit is 105-110 days. Yields 14 tones per acre.

Marutham: The fruits are light green in color and round. This variety is suitable for the months of February – March. Plants have good growth. The fruit grows even at high temperatures.

Yields 8-10 tones per acre.

Arka Rakshak : This is a high yielding hybrid variety. The plants grow and are dark green in color. The fruits are long in shape and light green in color. The fruits are dark red in color, medium to large in size. These can be stored for several days. So good for transportation. Perfect for making tomato products. It is suitable for sowing in Kharif, Rabi and summer season.

Crop season limit is 140-150 days. Yield : 40-50 t/a.

Arka Samrat : This is a high yielding hybrid strain. The plants grow tall and have dark green leaves. The fruits are spherical and dark red in color. They have the ability to last longer. Suitable for long distance transportation. Suitable for Kharif, Rabi and Summer crops.

Harvesting period: 140-150 days. Yield : 40-50 t/a.

Varieties – Compatibility period:

Monsoon: Early Kharif – Arka Meghali, Pusa Early Dwarf
Late Kharif – Pusa Ruby, Arka Vikas

Winter: Pusa Ruby, Pusa Earlydwarf, Arka Vikas, Arkasaurabh

Summer crop: Marutham, PKM-1, Arka Vikas, Arka Saurabh

Weather:

Tomato is a winter crop, but it grows well in the temperate zone.

The seed germinates well in 18.6 – 24 degree centigrade and the fruit grows well in between 15-32 degree centigrade. Tomato cannot tolerate high temperature or high rainfall.

Soils:

Tomato can be grown in a variety of soils from sandy land to heavy clay soils. Well-drained and heavy land soils are best for high yields.

Crop season:

Tomato is grown in all seasons in india, but Rabi crop season is important.

Kharif crop: June-July (rainfed crop)
Rabi crop: October-November
Summer crop: January-February will give high yields.

Seed per Acre:

Seed rate: 200 grams per acre for OP varieties and 70-80 grams for hybrid varieties.

Harvest: 65 to 70 days after sowing the seeds

Yield: 20 to 25 tons per acre

Main Field/Soil Preparation:

The land should be leveled well with plow 3-4 times. 8-10 tones of well-growed cattle manure per acre should be mixed in the final application.

Planting Distance:

Tomato crop should be planted in rows or pots. Maintain 60cm distance of row to row and 40 to 45cm distance of plant to plant. Grow at a distance of 45X30 cm in summer.

Gap Filling:

Two plants should be provided per gap. The rest of the plants should be planted without removing them. Make sure all plants are free of gaps in all rows.

Water management:

Water regularly after 5-6 days of planting. Rainfed crops should be watered according to soil moisture.

Harvesting:

Tomatoes can be harvested after 65- 70 days from the plantation. after that continue harvest for the next 45 to 60 days. Harvest in the fruit when in green colour for the long distance transportation. Harvest fully ripen fruits for the processing purpose.

 

Yield:

Rabi season: 12-16 tons/acre
Summer season: 8-10 tons/acre

Wal Pencil